Towards sustainable tourism: Exploring the role of entrepreneurship through an integrative review
Abstract
Objective: The objective of the article is to evaluate the extant literature on tourism entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainability, and argues for developing a more unified framework to explain these important and interconnected areas.
Research Design & Methods: The study adopted an integrative review methodology to systematically synthesise and critically evaluate the conceptual and empirical literature. We employed a structured review process involving literature selection, appraisal, and thematic integration to enable theory development and advance novel scholarly perspectives.
Findings: The study used thematic and inductive analysis and provided an aggregated insight into the six thematic areas pertinent to the tourism entrepreneurship and sustainable development nexus by aggregating them into three overarching dimensions: tourism entrepreneurship, sustainable value creation, and inclusive development. The nexus comprised sustainability perspectives, economic and social impact, entrepreneurial orientation, innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems, entrepreneurial opportunities, and sustainable tourism development.
Implications & Recommendations: The study constitutes a powerful message for a long-term global strategy to reshape tourism from a hyper-consumptive industry into a sustainable one focused on knowledge and science tourism, nature and biodiversity preservation, and global exploration.
Contribution & Value Added: The study adds future research and policy development conceptual framework by illustrating the strategic underpinning of entrepreneurial orientation and innovation in relation to the institutions and sustainable tourism development.
Keywords
tourism entrepreneurship, tourism industry, innovation, integrative literature review, sustainable development
Author Biography
Sanchita Bansal
Professor of Management at the University School of Management Studies, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India. Her research interests include SDGs, entrepreneurial marketing, women entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, responsible consumption, women empowerment, and happiness.
Priya Nangia
Assistant Professor at the Amity School of Business, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. Her research interests include marketing and responsible consumption.
Nisha Chanaliya
Doctoral Candidate at the University School of Management Studies, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India. Her research interests include finance, marketing, and development economics.
Dariusz Cichon
Assistant Professor and Coordinator of International Mobility at the Faculty of Management, AGH University of Krakow Poland. His research interests include sustainable development, women entrepreneurship, and smart cities.
Marek Dudek
Associate Professor and Dean at the Faculty of Management, AGH University of Science and Technology Krakow, Poland. His research interests include digital production and WCM.
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